Rethinking the Building Envelope as an Intelligent Community Hub for Renewable Energy Sharing

The widespread use of electric vehicles is hampered by the lack of an adequate charging points network. Likewise, and depending on the use, there could be a lack of correspondence between energy use and production in buildings equipped with renewable energy production systems. For these reasons, a modular device, which could be fully integrated into the building envelope, has been developed. The aim of the project was both to regenerate the existing building envelope and to enhance the newest one, adding new functions. The main goal will be the support of the growth of an electric power-sharing attitude capable of promoting the widespread use of electric vehicles of electric vehicle (EV), supporting strategic actions to retrofit/convert a private building in shared spaces for EV mobility, ensuring enough coverage for charging devices and reducing costs for public administration

Stem-like and highly invasive prostate cancer cells expressing CD44v8-10 marker originate from CD44-negative cells

In human prostate cancer (PCa), the neuroendocrine cells, expressing the prostate cancer stem cell (CSC) marker CD44, may be resistant to androgen ablation and promote tumor recurrence. During the study of heterogeneity of the highly aggressive neuroendocrine PCa cell lines PC3 and DU-145, we isolated and expanded in vitro a minor subpopulation of very small cells lacking CD44 (CD44neg). Unexpectedly, these sorted CD44neg cells rapidly and spontaneously converted to a stable CD44high phenotype specifically expressing the CD44v8-10 isoform which the sorted CD44high subpopulation failed to express. Surprisingly and potentially interesting, in these cells expression of CD44v8-10 was found to be induced in stem cell medium. CD44 variant isoforms are known to be more expressed in CSC and metastatic cells than CD44 standard isoform. In agreement, functional analysis of the two sorted and cultured subpopulations has shown that the CD44v8-10pos PC3 cells, resulting from the conversion of the CD44neg subpopulation, were more invasive in vitro and had a higher clonogenic potential than the sorted CD44high cells, in that they produced mainly holoclones, known to be enriched in stem-like cells. Of interest, the CD44v8-10 is more expressed in human PCa biopsies than in normal gland. The discovery of CD44v8-10pos cells with stem-like and invasive features, derived from a minoritarian CD44neg cell population in PCa, alerts on the high plasticity of stem-like markers and urges for prudency on the approaches to targeting the putative CSC

Indication to pelvic lymph nodes dissection for prostate cancer: the role of multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging when the risk of lymph nodes invasion according to Briganti updated nomogram is <5

Background: The Briganti updated nomogram (BN) is the most popular predictive model aiming to predict the presence of lymph node invasion (LNI) in patients with prostate cancer (PCa), but it lacks information obtained by preoperative imaging. The primary aim of the study was to evaluate the role of multiparametric prostate magnetic resonance imaging (mp-MRI) in the indication to perform pelvic lymph nodes dissection (PLND) or not in patients with risk of LNI according to BN below 5%. Methods: Since March 2012 and September 2016, 310 patients who underwent a preoperative mp-MRI for staging purpose and subsequent robot-assisted extended PLND (RAEPLND) were retrospectively evaluated. Mp-MRIs were prospectively analyzed by two experienced radiologists. The imaging parameters analyzed were the presence of extracapsular extension (ECE), seminal vesicles invasion (SVI) and predominant Gleason pattern 4 (pG4). All patients underwent RAEPLND by two experienced surgeons with a standardized technique. A dedicated uropathologist performed all pathological analysis. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used in order to identify the predictors of LNI in patients with PCa. Results: In the overall population, 57 (18.4%) patients had histologically proven pN1 disease. 48/250 patients (19.2%) with a risk of LNI â¥5% as calculated by the BN were staged pN1 at final histopathological analysis. 9/60 patients (15.0%) with a risk of LNI <5% as calculated by BN, who underwent RAEPLND anyway according to the findings at mp-MRI, were staged pN1 at final histopathological analysis. At multivariate logistic regression analysis, all the three mp-MRI parameters were significant independent predictors of LNI after RAEPLND. Conclusions: The role of mp-MRI seemed to be crucial in patients with a risk of LNI <5% as calculated by the BN. The presence of ECE, SVI, or pG4 at mp-MRI was found to be an independent predictor of LNI by itself

Hedgehog-GLI signalling promotes chemoresistance through the regulation of ABC transporters in colorectal cancer cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer death. Chemoresistance is a pivotal feature of cancer cells leading to treatment failure and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters are responsible for the efflux of several molecules, including anticancer drugs. The Hedgehog-GLI (HH-GLI) pathway is a major signalling in CRC, however its role in chemoresistance has not been fully elucidated. Here we show that the HH-GLI pathway favours resistance to 5-fluorouracil and Oxaliplatin in CRC cells. We identified potential GLI1 binding sites in the promoter region of six ABC transporters, namely ABCA2, ABCB1, ABCB4, ABCB7, ABCC2 and ABCG1. Next, we investigated the binding of GLI1 using chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments and we demonstrate that GLI1 transcriptionally regulates the identified ABC transporters. We show that chemoresistant cells express high levels of GLI1 and of the ABC transporters and that GLI1 inhibition disrupts the transporters up-regulation. Moreover, we report that human CRC tumours express high levels of the ABCG1 transporter and that its expression correlates with worse patients’ prognosis. This study identifies a new mechanism where HH-GLI signalling regulates CRC chemoresistance features. Our results indicate that the inhibition of Gli1 regulates the ABC transporters expression and therefore should be considered as a therapeutic option in chemoresistant patients

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound sonography optimises the assessment of lymph nodes in oncology

Ultrasound sonography (US) plays an important role in the assessment of lymph nodes in oncology. However, ultrasound findings are often equivocal in not allowing the differentiation of reactive from metastatic lymph nodes. Here, we present the successful use of contrast-enhanced US in the assessment of a metastatic lymph node, improving the performance of conventional US and optimising the US-guided percutaneous biopsy

Is lung ultrasound imaging a worthwhile procedure for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 pneumonia detection?

Objectives: We compared 2 imaging modalities in patients suspected of having coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Blinded to the results of real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) testing, lung ultrasound (LUS) examinations and chest computed tomography (CT) were performed, and the specific characteristics of these imaging studies were assessed. Methods: From March 15, 2020, to April 15, 2020, 63 consecutive patients were enrolled in this prospective pilot study. All patients underwent hematochemical tests, LUS examinations, chest CT, and confirmatory rRT-PCR. The diagnostic performance of LUS and chest CT was calculated with rRT-PCR as a reference. The interobserver agreement of radiologists and ultrasound examiners was calculated. Ultrasound and CT features were compared to assess the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value. Positive and negative likelihood ratios measured the diagnostic accuracy. Results: Nineteen (30%) patients were COVID-19 negative, and 44 (70%) were positive. No differences in demographics and clinical data at presentation were observed among positive and negative patients. Interobserver agreement for CT had a κ value of 0.877, whereas for LUS, it was 0.714. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of chest CT for COVID-19 pneumonia were 93%, 90%, 85%, and 95%, respectively; whereas for LUS, they were 68%, 79%, 88%, and 52%. On receiver operating characteristic curves, area under the curve values were 0.834 (95% confidence interval, 0.711–0.958) and 0.745 (95% confidence interval, 0.606–0.884) for chest CT and LUS. Conclusions: Lung ultrasound had good reliability compared to chest CT. Therefore, our results indicate that LUS may be used to assess patients suspected of having COVID-19 pneumonia

Palliative surgery or metallic stent positioning for advanced gastric cancer: differences in QOL

Background and Objectives: Twenty percent of the patients affected with stage IV antropyloric stomach cancer are hospitalized with a gastric outlet obstruction syndrome (GOOS) requiring its resolution to improve the quality of life (QoL).We present our preliminary short- and mid-term results regarding the influence of endoscopic placement of self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) or open stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy in QoL. Materials and Methods: In this prospective randomized longitudinal cohort trial, we randomly assigned 27 patients affected with stage IV antropyloric stomach cancer into two groups: Group 1 (13 patients) who underwent SEMS positioning and Group 2 (14 patients) in whom open stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy was performed. The Karnofsky performance scale and QoL assessment using the EQ-5D-5L™ questionnaire was administered before treatment and thereafter at 1, 3, and 6 months. Results: At 1-month, index values showed a statistically significant deterioration of the QoL in patients of Group 2 when compared to those of Group 1 (p = 0.004; CI: 0.04 to 0.21). No differences among the groups were recorded at 3-month; whereas, at 6-month, the index values showed a statistically significant deterioration of the QoL in patients of Group 1 (p = 0.009; CI: -0.25 to -0.043). Conclusions: Early QoL of patients affected with stage IV antropyloric cancer and symptoms of GOOS is significantly better in patients treated with SEMS positioning but at 6-month the QoL significantly decrease in this group of patients. We explained the reasons of this fluctuation with the higher risk of re-hospital admission in the SEMS group